Invalid&#39;s commode



June 28, 1960 A. v. BARSOTTI INVALIDS commona Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 M a 4 w a 4 H W June 28, 1960 A. v. BARSOTTI 2,942,648

INVALIDS COMMODE Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 A/berf I! Bar-soffi United States Patent INVALIDS COMMODE Albert V. Barsotti, 4529 Columbia Ave., Lincolnwood, 1]].

Filed Aug. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 754,360

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-31) This invention relates to an invalids commode. More particularly, this invention relates to a wheel-chair or the like construction wherein a portion of the seat is removable from beneath and either in back or in front of the chair so that a receptacle may be positioned under the resulting opening in the seat in order to accommodate the bodily functions of the patient in the chair without requiring the patient to be moved with respect to the chair.

There are numerous diseases such as muliple sclerosis, and various other forms of muscular atrophy and paralysis which render it extremely undesirable or often impossible to move a wheel-chair patient with respect to the wheel-chair in order to permit the use of an ordinary bedpan or other receptacle designed to accommodate the bodily functions of the patient. The length of time during which patients having such diseases can safely and comfortably remain in a wheel-chair has in the past been adversely affected by the necessity of moving the patient in order to make provision to accommodate his bodily functions.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a wheel-chair or similar means for supporting the patient wherein a portion of the seat thereof is removable from an opening therein in order that a receptacle may be positioned beneath the opening to accommodate the bodily functions of the patient without the necessity of moving the patient in the chair.

It is a more general object of this invention to provide a wheel-chair having a commode as a builtin feature of the structure thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a wheel-chair wherein the removable portion of the seat is normally firmly supported in position to form a continuous top seat surface with the rest of the seat but may be removed from beneath or in back of the seat without disturbing the patient in the chair.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters are used to refer to like parts throughout and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view looking upwardly from the back of a wheel-chair constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the top of the seat of the chair of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-HI of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view with parts in elevation showv 2,942,648 Patented June 28, 1960 Figure 1 thereof, there is shown a wheel-chair 10 incorporating an invalids commode in accordance with the present invention. The general manner of construction of the wheel-chair may be of any convenient or wellknown type and as illustrated comprises spoked wheels 11 and 12 which are respectively attached by stub axles 13 and 14 to the rear vertical frame members 15 and 16 (a portion of the member 16 being broken away for clarity of illustration). Frame members 15 and 16 are in turn attached to generally horizontal seat supporting frame members 17 and 18 which extend forwardly from the rear vertical support members 15 and 16 and continue downwardly near the front of the chair to support a foot rest 19. Lower horizontal frame members 21 and 22 are connected between the lower portions of the rear frame members 15 and 16 and the forward downward extension of the frame members 17 and 18 in order to afiord structural rigidity and to provide a support for the front wheels 23 and 24 which are mounted by means of yokes 25 and 26 to the frame members 21 and 22. Frame members 27 and 28 are preferably welded to the frame members 21, 17 and 22, 18 respectively in order to provide further rigidity and may continue upwardly and rearwardly to be joined to the vertical rear frame members 15 and 16 thereby affording arm rest members 29 and 30. Any suitable back support member 31 is attached to the rear vertical frame members 15 and 16 as shown and these frame members may terminate in handles 32 and 33 by which the chair many be conveniently wheeled.

Considering now in particular Figures 1, 2, and 3, it will be noted that a first seat member 35 is attached to the frame of the chair and supported thereby. Member 35 may, for example, be attached to or removably mounted on horizontal frame work members 17 and 18 in any convenient manner and may further be held more firmly in position by abutment with upright frame members 27 and 28 as well as to members 15 and 16. The outer edge or perimeter of the first seat member 35 is shaped to be received by the above-noted framework members and to thereby provide a seat for a human patient in said chair.

To accommodate sidewise folding of the chair, the rigid seat member 35 can be removed from the frame or can have one side hingedto a frame 17 or 18. The first seat member 35 is further provided with a centrally positioned generally elliptically shaped opening in which a sec ond seat member 36 of generally the same shape as the opening is adapted to be removably secured so that the first and second seat members will mate to form a continuous top seat surface. To this end, padding 35a and a covering 35b may be provided on the first seat member and similar padding 36a and covering material 36b may be provided on the second seat member. A third seat member or extension 37 may also be attached to the back or rear edge of the first seat member 35 in order to prevent the clothing of the patient from slipping down over the rear edge of seat 35. Extension member 37 may similarly be provided with padding 37a and covering material 37b. The covering material may conveniently extend across the entire top surface of each of the seat members and may conveniently be folded down around the edges thereof and tacked or otherwise attached to the bottom surfaces of the seat members as seen most clearly in Figure 4. It will be noted from Figure 2 that when the seat members 35 and 36 are in assembled relationship a substantially continues top seat surface is afforded,

to the undersurface thereof a supporting member 40 all. i If f preferably inltheiformlofia v-shaped bar. i v bar .40 has legs 40a and 40b which are rigidly attached to the underside of seat member 36 by bolts 41, 42, 43 and 44. If desired; spacers such as shown at 43d and 44mm Figure 3;maysbeiprovided itotholduthe Vi bar rigidlygat. apredetermined ldistance :from th'e seat member 3&1 Although other supporting i means; may be I used, ith'e f advantage of thesvibari arrangement lies in the fact that it affords supporttatnthe ltwo Sides of Q the central seat "member- 36 thereby: lending grenter stabilityto this seat member when itis in pcsitionrin 'the chair p V The -armi49aof thev bar 40 rests' in -a flange member 45ewhereas the arm .4012 rests,- inra flange member 46. Flange imember v45 is: secured throughthe' underside ofthefirSt-seaL member 35 as by screws or lag bolts 47'and flange:member:46 'is similarly attached by screws or -la'g bolts '48. It wi-ll'be noted that the flange members are' prov-ided with upwardly sloping-bottom surfaces 45d and 46a.:and 'inwardlysloping outer surfaces 45b and 46b 'If it is desired 'toprovide-a"cornniodexwhreimthe patient himself can operate the-device, the relative positions of flanges 45 and 46-"and;rlatch;.-41icouldgof course, ho reversed so that the V -bar supporting member 46 projects toward the front of-the'chair." In such a construction the V-bar 40 should preferably extend up to but not beyond the front of seat member 35. Of course,

' also extend to the front'of seat-member -35.

It will further be apparent that'although'theinvalids serving to guide the arms-49a and 40b into holes or-re- 0 commode has been-described in' connection withia wheelpositi0n=shown in Figures 1 and 4 inorder tohold the V=bar assembly-and seat member fifi-in-positionr Latch arm-:47 is rotatablyrnounted on a bolt or other support- 7 ing means 48 which secures the latchto the underside of thefirst seat member 35. When it is desired toremove the second or central seat portion 36- from the chair,

the-=latch member 47 is rotated permitting the V bar to be; lowered and slid down the slopingsurfaces of the 'flange members 45 and '46 so that the seat portion 36 may'be-withdrawn'from beneath and behind the chair 16;;

' continuous top'seat surface; V-shapedsupporting bar 'In orderto support a receptacle or-befd-pan' 4? under the opening in the-first seat member when thercentral a seat member 36 is removed,'a pair of generally U-shaped channel-members Strand 51=are rigidly attached to'the undersideof -'the "seat member 35- by any convenient means such as screws or lag bolts, The channel memand second flange means rigidlyattachedto the bottom bers 'SWand S I are' positioned adjacent the central opening in-seat member 35 and extend rearwardly to the' backof the chair 10 so that receptacle 49, having flanges 49a and 49b -which are adapted to ride in the U chartnels may be slidinto 'position' under the seat opening:

The -U channel 50-1is preferably providedgwith a ball 'oryother retaining means'52 biased by spring 53 to urge.

the-ball against-the flange 49b of receptacle 49 so as to. hold the receptacle firmly against sliding movement within the-channelswwhen itis "once positioned therein and thus 1 avoid; any possibility of droppingthereceptacle when the their "10 is tilted: v

It'-wi]1 --be' apparent that in operation; a nurse'or ati tendant'may readily have access from the rear of the chair,- it could readily be incorporated in any other suit able means for-supporting the human body;-and that'th. term chair means as used herein is to- 'be construed broadly in-that sense.

While a particular exemplary embodiment of l the invention has thus been described in detail above, it 'will' be understood that 'modifications and-variations maybe effected therein without de'partingfrom the spirit and scope'of the novel concepts ofathe present invention as defined by the-following claimsz' I claim as thy-invention: V l. An-invalid-s wheel-chair commode of the character described' herein comprisingmovable'chair means to support'and transport a human -b'eing-in" a' fixed position relative tosaid chair, a first 'seat membercarriedbythe frame'of said chair-and-shapedto define a'central elliptically shaped 'opening' therein, a' Secondseat member.

having the same shape assaidopening and adapted 'tofit into said opening to form ;with said is seat member a surface of saidfirst seatrne'mber andpeachf being positioned and 'shaped to receive respectively one end of said V-shaped supporting bar means, when :said' :second seat member is 'positionedtin -"said opening, latch *rneans attached'to the bottom surface of said first seati mernb'er and positioned-between saidmpening' and the back of saidfirst seat member; saidjlatoh means beingrotatable V from afirst position in whichsaid supporting bar means:

is held securely against saidfirstseat member thereby to 55 a position inwhich said-supportingbar means isiper mittedfto be 'separatedfromsaidfirst seat member, said latch'- means cooperating with said flange means and said chair-Nor frombeneath the chair 10 to theilatch 47 first and secondvparal-lelly disposed channel bar'tsupports which may berturnedito release thel V' bar assembly 40:;

' flange supporting -members45and 46 without in any way moving'iordisturbiug a'patient in the chair 10. The re- 55 receptacle beneath said opening= when said 'seeond'seat- V .ceptacle '49'may; thenreadilybe slid into the U channels a '50 and -51fin order'toiaccommodate. the bodily functions ofithe patient inthechair 10; i It.is, of course, assumed thattheipatientwill be so clothed when originally placed 7 in thechairlt)" that the bodily functions may be carried rigidly attachedto-the-bottomsurface ofjsaidifirst seat member adj acent: said "opening thereim extending to the back of said first seat member, saidehanniel means being shaped T and positioned to detachably support a sideframe members 'eachrcarrying Wheels andm'ovableS from a folded adjacent position lo e-spaced-apart use the frame members and for spanning the space-betweenthe frame'memhers in als'ubstantiallyw horizontal plane,

said first seat member having an opening through the supporting bar means to 'detachably secure said "second iseat member in said openinglin said first seati'member,

central portion thereof, a second seat member detachably cooperating with said first seat member and having a seat portion of the same shape as said opening to be received in said opening to cooperate with the first seat member and form a substantially continuous top seat surface, support means secured to the underside of said second seat member having a pair of laterally spaced forwardly projecting legs and a rearwardly projecting handle, receptacle means mounted on the underside of said first seat member for receiving said forwardly projecting legs, a manually shiftable retaining member on the underside of said first seat member selectively engageable with said handle to cooperate with the leg receptacle means for securing said second seat member in said opening, said handle projecting beyond the rear end of said second seat member for manipulating said second seat member into and out of said opening in the first seat member without pinching the body of a user seated on said first seat member, and means on the underside of said first seat member adapted to selectively receive a commode when the second seat member is removed from the first seat member.

3. An invalids wheel-chair commode comprising wheeled frame means, a first seat member carried by said frame means adapted to support an invalid in seated position, said first seat member having a central opening therethrough, a removable second seat member shaped to fit in said opening and cooperate with the first seat member to form a substantially continuous seating surface, said second seat member having support means mounted on the underside thereof and including leg portions projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the second seat member, rearwardly opening socket means on the underside of the first seat member adapted to receive the forwardly projecting leg portions of the support means for the second seat member, latch means on the underside of the first seat member for cooperating with the rearwardly projecting leg portions on the second seat member to detachably lock the second seat member to the first seat member with the forwardly projecting leg portions in said socket means, and commode support means on the underside of said first seat member adapted to receive a commode when the second seat member is removed from the first seat member, and said second seat member being manipulated into and out of locked relation with said first seat member from the rear end of said wheelchair Without any possible discomfort to the occupant.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,620 Wilson Nov. 13, 1928 2,086,550 Hartig July 13, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 249,032 Great Britain Mar. 18, 1926 340,419 Germany Sept. 13, 1921 

